Change the World By Replacing Lies with Tries
…Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
… ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me. (Matthew 25: 34-40 MSG)
These words are thousands of years old, but the ideas are still relevant. In today’s world, we could add I was at war, and you cared. I was hurting, and you paid attention, I was hated, and you loved.
So What?
I had lunch with a former colleague the other day, and if you can imagine, world events came up. I expressed my uneasiness with sharing opinions on certain situations because of my place in life. She said the world needs people like me to speak because of my place in life.
What she didn’t know was the last time I opened my mouth, I heard this retort. That is easy for you to say; you are just a typical white guy.
At that time, my internal response was, “isn’t that an ironic statement in a conversation about being empathetic to the experiences of others?”
But that was before I did my research and read books like White Fragility, Between the World and Me, and The Fire Next Time. Or before the old Tupac track Changes came on and realized we still haven’t seen a lot of changes since 1996 (when that track came out).
As I reflected on truth, world events, and the need to be empathetic, I was a reminder of a Blaise Pascal quote a friend recently shared, “People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.”
So, here is what has been placed on my heart to share. These are perspectives on actions that are unhelpful but common (the lies) and then a perspective on actions that might actually help change the world into a place that might be left better than we found it.
How we be the change?
We need to stop lying to ourselves and each other, just because the lies are more attractive than the truth.
Talking about injustice doesn’t make it better. It just draws attention to the brokenness. Brokenness thrives on attention without action, so...
Anyone who claims they are unaware of the injustices of this world is lying.
Anyone who claims the answer to injustice is words followed by inaction is lying.
Anyone who claims the answer to injustice is action without words is lying.
Anyone who claims to have an easy answer to injustice is lying.
Anyone who claims there is no answer or the answer is impossible to implement is lying.
Hope and desire are not solutions to any problem; they can be catalysts for change, but they are not in themselves action and therefore are not change.
Aren’t we tired of lying to ourselves and to each other? If you want the world to be different, YOU need to be different. So why don’t we stop lying and start trying?
Try to see the world through another’s lens. (empathy)
Try leaning into love (especially when it’s hard). (empathy)
Try putting the needs of another ahead of your own. (generosity)
Try replacing being offended with being open-minded. (curiosity)
Try listening more and seeking to understand better. (curiosity)
Try starting with a question instead of an answer. (curiosity)
Try leaning into discomfort, even when it doesn’t make sense or seem necessary. (sacrificial living)
If we want the world to be different, maybe we can all stop the lies and increase our tries.